Blaise Matuidi

Blaise Matuidi (French pronunciation: ​[blɛz matɥidi]; born 9 April 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays for Juventus and the France national team as a midfielder. He is described as a "fierce and strong tackler".[4]
Matuidi began his football career playing for amateur clubs in the Île-de-Franceregion, such as US Fontenay-sous-Bois and CO Vincennois. In 1999, he was selected to attend the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. After departing Clairefontaine, Matuidi joined semi-professional club Créteil and spent three years developing in the club's youth academy. In 2004, he signed with professional club Troyes and made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season. After three seasons with Troyes, Matuidi joined Saint-Étienne. With Saint-Étienne, he played European football for the first time after participating in the 2008–09 edition of the UEFA Cup. In the 2009–10 season, he was named first-choice captain under manager Alain Perrin. In July 2011, after four seasons with Saint-Étienne, Matuidi transferred to Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal.

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 May 2019‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 March 2019

Club career

Early career

Matuidi was born in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, to an Angolan father, Faria Rivelino, and a Congolese mother, Élise. Rivelino emigrated to France at a young age.[5] Matuidi has four other siblings and was raised in the Parisian suburb of Fontenay-sous-Bois.[5] He grew an attraction to the sport of football watching Paris Saint-Germain and became an admirer of former PSG attacker Jay-Jay Okocha.[6] Matuidi began his football career at the age of six playing for hometown club US Fontenay-sous-Bois.[7] After five years at the club, he joined CO Vincennois in nearby Vincennes, where he was teammates with Yacine Brahimi for a year. In 1999, Matuidi was rated as one of the best players in the Île-de-France region and was subsequently selected to attend the prestigious Clairefontaine academy. He trained at the academy for three seasons, playing there on weekdays while simultaneously playing for Vincennes on the weekends. In 2001, Matuidi left Vincennes to sign for semi-professional club Créteil on an aspirant (youth) contract. He spent four years in the club youth academy quickly becoming one of the club's most sought after prospects. Despite an intriguing offer from the two-time defending champions Lyon, Matuidi signed with Troyes, citing the club's training centre as his primary reason.[7]

Troyes

Matuidi began his career with Troyes playing on the club's reserve team in the Championnat de France amateur 2, the fifth division of French football. In November 2004, he was called up to the senior team by manager Jean-Marc Furlan and made his professional debut on 23 November in the team's Ligue 2 match against Gueugnon. Matuidi started the match and played over 60 minutes in a 2–1 victory.[8] His only other appearance with the senior team in the 2004–05 season came on 4 February 2005 in a league match against Guingamp.[9] Matuidi was relegated back to the club's reserve team for the rest of the campaign where he helped the team finish in sixth place.[10] In the following season, Matuidi was promoted to the senior team, who were now playing in Ligue 1, on a permanent basis. He was inserted as a starter by Furlan and appeared in 31 league matches. Matuidi was also one of the league leaders in card accumulation, with 11. He scored his first professional goal on 11 January 2006 in a 1–0 victory against Lille, converting a volley that was described by the media as "magnificent."[7][11] Despite the impressive individual season from Matuidi, Troyes finished only one spot above the relegation zone.

Following the season, on 16 June 2006, Matuidi signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a four-year deal with Troyes despite interest from English club Charlton Athletic.[12] Despite the firing of Furlan, Matuidi remained first-choice under new manager Denis Troch. He appeared in 35 total matches and score three goals. He also reduced his card accumulation to only six. Arguably Matuidi's greatest performance in a Troyes shirt came on 28 April 2007 against Sedan, whom Troyes were contesting a relegation battle with. With Troyes trailing 2–1 at home with 15 minutes remaining, Matuidi scored an equalizing goal in the 75th minute. Eight minutes later, he scored the winning goal to give Troyes a 3–2 victory.[13] Matuidi scored again on the final match day of the season against Lens in a 3–0 win, however, Troyes still dropped down to Ligue 2 after finishing the season in the 18th position.[14] The club's relegation back to Ligue 2 caused speculation regarding Matuidi's future with the club.

Saint-Étienne

Blaise Matuidi signing autographs.

Despite being linked with a hosts of Ligue 1 clubs, notably Bordeaux, Lille and Monaco, on 12 July 2007, it was confirmed by the media that Matuidi had agreed to join Saint-Étienne after agreeing to a four-year deal with the club.[15] Upon his arrival, Matuidi was given the number 12 shirt and was inserted into the starting XI, where he established midfield partnerships with Loïc Perrin and Christophe Landrin. He also formed a bond with former and fellow TroyenBafétimbi Gomis, who had a breakout season. Matuidi made his club debut on 11 August 2007 in a league match against Valenciennes.[16] He remained first-choice for the entire season under Laurent Roussey. The club's play that season culminated into a fifth-place finish and qualification for the UEFA Cup.

During the 2008–09 season, Matuidi's performances caught the attention of English club Arsenal, who sent its scout Gilles Grimandi to watch him. Grimandi subsequently recommended the player to fellow Frenchman and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger.[17] Matuidi was also tracked by Italian club Milan during the season. On 16 August 2008, he scored his first career goal for Saint-Étienne in a 2–1 win over Sochaux.[18] Matuidi made his European debut on 18 September 2008 in the team's first leg tie in the first round of the UEFA Cup against Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv.[19] He made eight appearances in the competition as Saint-Étienne ultimately reached the Round of 16 before suffering elimination to German club Werder Bremen. Matuidi appeared consistently in the league until receiving his first career red card in the team's 3–0 defeat to Lille.[20] In the second half of the season, Matuidi and the club in general struggled with injuries. The team's broken collective resulted in Saint-Étienne barely avoiding relegation, having survived on the last day of the season. After the season, Matuidi announced his intent to leave the club, telling French newspaper L'Equipe, "My wish is to leave because I think it's time." Matuidi also stated that he would be happy if he remained at Saint-Étienne.[21] After failing to receive any significant offers from clubs in the 2009 summer, sporting director Damien Comolli announced that Matuidi would remain at the club for the 2009–10 season.

Matuidi was named as the club's captain by incoming manager Alain Perrin following the first league match of the 2009–10 season due to injuries to incumbent captain Loïc Perrin. Despite Loïc Perrin returning to the team in September 2009, Matuidi still held onto the armband. Under his leadership, Saint-Étienne defeated the defending champions Bordeaux 3–1 on 3 October 2009.[22] Following the firing of Alain Perrin midway through the season, incoming manager Christophe Galtier returned the captaincy back to Loïc Perrin. On 18 May 2010, Matuidi was involved in a physical altercation with teammate Dimitri Payet during the team's 1–0 defeat to Toulouse.[23] Midway through the first-half, Payet received criticism from teammate Yohan Benalouane for displaying a lack of aggression. He was then confronted by Matuidi, who echoed Benalouane's sentiments. Matuidi and Payet went face-to-face with the latter player delivering a blow to Matuidi's head before the two were separated by referee Bruno Coue and teammates.[24] As a result of the incident, Payet was substituted out after 31 minutes and sanctioned by club president Roland Romeyer.[25] On 6 October 2010, following both Matuidi and Payet's call up to the France national team, Matuidi described the altercation as a "lack of maturity" on both players part, while Payet described the incident as "an argument that had no place" and that "the incident was explained and the two were on new ground".[26]

Paris Saint-Germain

On 25 July 2011, Paris Saint-Germain confirmed that the club had signed Matuidi to a three-year contract as a replacement for the departed Claude Makelele, who retired from the sport.[27] The transfer fee was undisclosed, but is purported to be in the region of €7.5 million plus future incentives.[28] Matuidi was presented to the media the same day alongside fellow new signing and international teammate Jérémy Ménez and was assigned the number 14 shirt.[29] He made his club debut for the team in its 1–0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls at the Emirates Cup. Matuidi made his competitive debut for PSG on 6 August 2011 in the team's opening 1–0 league defeat to Lorient.[30] During the 2012–13 season, Matuidi scored in wins against Bastia(0–4), Troyes (4–0, 0–1), Lyon (1–0), and Brest as PSG won Ligue 1 for the first time in 19 years. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–0 defeat of Dinamo Zagreb at the Parc des Princes on 6 November 2012, and went on to score a stoppage time equalising goal in a 2–2 draw with Barcelona in the quarter-final first leg.[31]

On 24 May 2013, Matuidi was one of five PSG players named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.[32]

On 26 February 2014, Matuidi agreed a four-year contract extension.[33] On 10 May 2014, he scored in PSG's 3–1 win at Lille as the Parisians set a new points record in Ligue 1.[34]

Juventus

2017–18 season

On 18 August 2017, Matuidi joined Juventus on a three-year contract that would expire on 30 June 2020. The initial transfer fee was €20 million, plus up to €10.5 million in potential bonuses that would depend on the number of appearances made by him in Juventus' competitive matches over the next three seasons.[40] He made his club and Serie A debut on 19 August 2017, in a 3–0 home win over Cagliari.[41] Matuidi scored his first goal for Juventus on 17 December; the final goal of a 3–0 away win over Bologna.[42]

2018–19 season

On 1 September 2018, Matuidi scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a 2–1 away win over Parma in Serie A.[43]

International career

Matuidi is a former French youth international, having represented his nation at under-19 and under-21 level. He went unnoticed while developing at both Créteil and Troyes; after establishing himself in the 2006–07 season with the latter club, however, he was called up to the under-19 team by coach Guy Ferrier. Matuidi made his youth international debut on 5 October 2005 in a 4–0 friendly match victory over Norway.[44] He subsequently appeared with the team in qualifying matches for the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. France ultimately failed to qualify for the competition and Matuidi finished the campaign with nine appearances and no goals.

After failing to appear at international level for nearly two years, on 5 August 2010, Matuidi was called up to the senior team for the first time by new manager Laurent Blanc for the team's friendly match against Norway on 11 August 2010.[52] He failed to make an appearance in the match, but was called back into the team the following month as an injury replacement for UEFA Euro 2012 qualification matches against Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina.[53] Matuidi made his international debut in the team's 2–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, appearing as a substitute. On 29 March 2011, he made his first start in the team's 0–0 draw with Croatia.

In May 2016, Matuidi was named by national side manager Deschamps to France's 23-man squad for Euro 2016, hosted on home soil.[60] On 3 July, Matuidi assisted Olivier Giroud's opening goal in the quarter-finals of the tournament at the Stade de France, as the host nation defeated Iceland 5–2.[61] He started in the final of the tournament on 10 July, where France suffered a 1–0 extra-time defeat to Portugal.[62]

Style of play

Described as a "fierce and strong tackler",[4] with good defensive attributes, Matuidi is known in particular for his energy, work-rate, mobility, tenacity, and physical strength, as well as his discipline, positional sense, and tactical intelligence, which enable him to excel in a holding role as a ball-winner in midfield, due to his ability to close down spaces, intercept loose balls, or break down possession. A versatile and well-rounded team player, he is capable of playing in several other midfield positions, and is known for his ability to carry, distribute the ball, and start attacking plays after winning back possession, often acting as a box-to-box player in the centre of the pitch. His movement on the pitch and ability to make effective attacking runs also allows him to contribute to his team's offensive play, as it often draws opponents out of position, and in turn creates space for his teammates. He is also capable of making runs into the box and scoring goals, which has seen him be deployed in a more offensive, left-sided central midfield role during his time with Juventus under manager Massimiliano Allegri, a position known as the mezzala or incursore role in Italian football jargon. Although his main influence is Claude Makelele, his playing style has also been compared to that of Jean Tigana.[65][66][67][68][69][70]

During the 2018 World Cup, Matuidi was also deployed in a new position for France under manager Deschamps, playing out wide, rather than in the centre, as a left-sided winger or attacking midfielder in a 4–2–3–1 formation. In this system, he proved to be equally effective, in spite of his unorthodox playing role, as he was able to track back and limit the attacking threat of the opposing full-backs on the flank. Moreover, he also often tucked into the centre, in order to help support Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kanté defensively, which also helped minimise the amount of space given to the main playmakers of France's opponents throughout the tournament, and ultimately helped to nullify their impact on the game. Furthermore, Matuidi's more defensive role on the left flank provided balance within the team, as it in turn gave Kylian Mbappé the licence to attack and run at defences from the right wing.[65][71][72] He also been used in a similar role by Allegri at Juventus.[73]

Personal life

The rapper Niska paid tribute to Matuidi by creating the song "Matuidi Charo (PSG)" and dance of the Charo, dance of the vulture, which was then popularized on the football field by Matuidi.[74][75]

In May 2016, he developed his autobiography, "Au bout de mes rêves", written in collaboration with Ludovic Pinton (publishers Solar OCLC953083014).

In 2018, he was named champion of the year and champion for peace by the organisation Peace and Sport, for his work with his organisation 'Tremplin Blaise Matuidi' which helps the reinsertion of kids from the suburbs.[76]

External links

The 2012–13 season was Paris Saint-Germain Football Club's 43rd in existence and their 40th in the top-flight of French football. The team competed in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue and the UEFA Champions League.Reinforced by new stars Ezequiel Lavezzi, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thiago Silva, PSG warmed up for the 2012–13 season with the aim of winning the league crown that dramatically eluded the club the previous year. Paris began at home to Lorient at the Parc des Princes. Les Merlus caused Paris plenty of problems and the match ended 2–2 thanks to Ibrahimović's first brace of the season. The PSG squad took a little time to get going and after three consecutive draws, Les Parisiens recorded their first victory in Week 4. It was in the north of France that Paris finally launched their campaign against Lille and a 2–1 victory featuring another double from Ibrahimović. Another three points followed against Toulouse (2–0), before it was time for the UEFA Champions League. After nearly a decade's absence, PSG marked their return to Europe's premier club competition with a resounding 4–1 victory over Dynamo Kyiv.Buoyed by their continental success, the capital club recorded their largest ever away win with a 4–0 demolition of Bastia before defeating Sochaux-Montbéliard 2-0, in a perfect month of September. October began less well with a late 1-0 defeat away to Porto. The it was time to travel to the Stade Vélodrome for Le Classique against Olympique de Marseille. Inspired, Zlatan netted two more remarkable goals as the match ended 2-2. It got even better as Stade de Reims, Dinamo Zagreb, Nancy and Marseille, this time in the Coupe de la Ligue, all fell to Paris. The first defeat of the campaign came soon after, 2–1, to Saint-Étienne. It marked the start of a difficult month of November for the side from the French capital. A festive December started in style with a 2–1 win over Porto which saw Paris clinch top spot in Group A of the Champions League. Next up came Evian (4-0), Valenciennes (0–4) and Lyon (1–0); all fell victim to the high-flying Les Rouge-et-Bleu. A comprehensive 3-0 win over Stade Brest in the final match of the calendar year saw PSG secure the honorary title of autumn champions.2013 began with new Brazilian signing Lucas Moura meeting his new teammates. The return to competition wasn't easy with a tough and slender 4–3 win over Arras in the Coupe de France. After a scoreless draw with AC Ajaccio, Paris stepped up a gear with wins over Bordeaux, Toulouse in the Coupe de France and Lille. The run of matches saw goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu set a new club record for longest run without conceding a goal, surpassing the previous time set by the legendary Bernard Lama. PSG then produced a huge surprise for their supporters by announcing the signature of David Beckham on the final day of the winter transfer window. The arrival of the English superstar saw the club continue on its winning ways with a 4–0 triumph over Toulouse followed by a 3–1 win over Bastia before the last 16 of the Champions League. Away to Spanish giants Valencia in the first leg, Paris run out 2–1 winners.The return to domestic action proved a little less convincing with a 3–2 upset at the hands of Sochaux. The reaction was immediate. As Beckham debuted in his new colours, Paris recorded back to back 2–0 home wins against arch-rivals Marseille, firstly in the league and then in the Coupe de France. Paris confirmed their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 1–1 draw at home to Valencia. Despite hiccups against Reims (0–1) and Saint-Étienne (2–2), Paris continued to set the pace at the top of the ladder with victories over Nancy, 2–1, and defending champions Montpellier, 1–0. Then came one of the highlights of the season with the quarter-final of the Champions League against Barcelona. And the match lived up to the hype with Blaise Matuidi scoring in the last minute to secure a thrilling 2–2 draw at the Parc des Princes. PSG warmed up for the return match against the Catalan outfit with a 2–0 victory over Stade Rennais in Ligue 1. Then, at the Camp Nou, Javier Pastore opened the scoring for Carlo Ancelotti's players, only to be eliminated on away goals by Pedro’s equaliser.Les Rouges et Bleu bounced back with a 1–0 win over Troyes before quarter-final exits in both the Coupe de la Ligue and the Coupe de France. The players just had to focus on the Ligue 1 title and they did so with a 3–0 victory over Nice before avenging their cup exit with a 1–0 win of their own away to Evian. In the end, a 1–0 win away to Lyon secured the club's first Ligue 1 title in 19 years, and third overall. Jérémy Ménez struck the goal that sent Paris into rapture. The penultimate match of the season saw a 3–1 win over Brest at the Parc des Princes, followed by the official presentation of the Ligue 1 trophy. It also marked the final match of David Beckham's playing career. The final match of the season saw the newly-crowned 2013 champions end with a win over Lorient as Zlatan Ibrahimović received his Golden Boot trophy for Ligue 1 top scorer with 30 goals.

The 2013 Trophée des champions (English: 2013 Champions' Trophy) was the 18th edition of the French super cup. The match was contested by Paris Saint-Germain, the 2012–13 Ligue 1 champions and Bordeaux, the winners of the 2012–13 edition of the Coupe de France. The match was played at the Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville, Gabon, the fifth consecutive time the competition had taken place on foreign soil. Paris Saint-Germain won the trophy after a 95th-minute headed winner from Alex. It was PSG's third win out of seven appearances in the fixture.

The 2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final was the 20th final of France's football league cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue, a competition for the 42 teams that the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) manages. The final took place on 19 April 2014 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. PSG won 2–1 and became the first club to win the competition four times, ahead of Bordeaux and Marseille.

The winner of the final should have been guaranteed a UEFA Europa League place for the 2014–15 season, but PSG had already qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League via its league position.

The 2015 Trophée des Champions (English: 2015 Champions Trophy) was the 20th edition of the French supercup. The match was contested by the 2015 Ligue 1 and Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain and the runners-up of the Ligue 1, Olympique Lyonnais. The match was played at Stade Saputo in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.This was the seventh consecutive time the competition had taken place on international soil and the second time it was contested in Montreal. PSG were the two-time defending champions, having defeated Guingamp in the 2014 edition, which was played in China.

The 2016 Coupe de France Final decided the winner of the 2015–16 Coupe de France, the 99th season of France's all-main-divisions football cup. It took place on 21 May at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.

In the final, Olympique de Marseille took on arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain, in a rematch of the 2006 final, which PSG won 2–1. PSG were the defending champions, having beaten Auxerre in the 2015 Coupe de France Final. As PSG had won the 2015–16 Ligue 1 title already, the otherwise-enabled Europa League place went to the next highest league finisher (in this case, Saint-Étienne).PSG equalled Marseille's record ten Coupe de France victories with their win.

The 2016 Coupe de la Ligue Final was the 22nd final of France's football league cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue, a competition for the 42 teams that the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) manages. The final took place on 23 April 2016 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested by reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, and Lille.

The 2016 Trophée des Champions (English: 2016 Champions Trophy) was the 21st edition of the French super cup. The match was contested by the 2015–16 Ligue 1 and Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain, and the runners-up of Ligue 1, Lyon. The match was played at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria.PSG were the three-time defending champions, having defeated Lyon in the 2015 edition, which was played in Canada.

The 2017 Coupe de France Final was a football match between French clubs Angers and Paris Saint-Germain to determine the winner of the 2016–17 Coupe de France, the 100th season of France's all-main-divisions football cup. It took place on 27 May at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.

The 2017 Trophée des Champions (English: 2017 Champions Trophy) was the 22nd edition of the Trophée des Champions, the annual super cup in France. The match was contested by the 2016–17 Ligue 1 champions Monaco, and the 2016–17 Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain. The match was played at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier, Morocco.Paris Saint-Germain were the four-time defending champions, having defeated Lyon 4–1 in the 2016 edition, which was played in Austria.

Paris Saint-Germain won the match 2–1 for their seventh Trophée des Champions title.

The 2018 Coppa Italia Final decided the winner of the 2017–18 Coppa Italia, the 71st season of Italy's main football cup. It was played on 9 May 2018 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome between Juventus and Milan.

Juventus won the match 4–0 with all four goals coming in the second half, winning their fourth consecutive Coppa Italia title and 13th title overall. This was the fifth time these teams met in the Coppa Italia Final, with Juventus winning previously in 1942, 1990 and 2016, and Milan winning in the 1973 final.

Blaise is a French and English personal name and surname (from Greek Βλάσιος, the name of Saint Blaise).

The meaning of Greek Blasios is unclear; it may have been a by-name of the saint, derived from Latin blaesus "lisp", thus "the lisper"; alternatively, it may just be a corruption of the name Basilius (Greek Βασίλειος basíleios "royal; kingly").

Coach Meddy (born 5th December 1982) is a French Celebrity Fitness Trainer. He is best known for creating the MMF Protocol (a Mixed Martial Arts and Football training technique). Meddy is also the co-founder of the mobile app NA 39 with Nicolas Anelka.

The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine France Football since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players playing abroad were in contention to win the trophy. Since 2001, former winners elect the player of the year.

The Centre Technique National Fernand Sastre (English: Fernand Sastre National Technical Centre), commonly referred to as INF Clairefontaine ("Institut national du football de Clairefontaine"), INF, or simply Clairefontaine, is the national football centre that specializes in training French football players. The academy is one of twelve élite academies located in and around France that are supervised by the French Football Federation (FFF). Only the best players from the Île-de-France région train at the Clairefontaine academy. The twelve other academies are situated in Castelmaurou, Châteauroux, Liévin, Dijon, Marseille, Ploufragan, Vichy and Reims, Réunion, Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, Guadeloupe and Talence.Clairefontaine opened in 1988 and is named after Fernand Sastre, the president of the FFF from 1972–1984. The academy is located 50 km southwest of Paris at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines and is one of the best known football academies in the world. It has a high reputation of producing some of the most gifted French and non-French players including Nicolas Anelka, Louis Saha, William Gallas, Hatem Ben Arfa, Abou Diaby, Sébastien Bassong, Mehdi Benatia, Blaise Matuidi, Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud and national team top scorer Thierry Henry. The academy is also used to house the national football teams of France and the centre drew media spotlight following its usage as a base camp by the France team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Juventus is the club that has contributed the most players to the Italy national team in history. They are the only Italian club that has contributed players to every Italian national teams since the 2nd FIFA World Cup. Juventus have contributed numerous players to Italy's World Cup campaigns.

Two Juventus players have won the golden boot award at the World Cup with Italy; Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Salvatore Schillaci in 1990. As well as contributing to Italy's World Cup winning sides, Alfredo Foni and Pietro Rava represented Italy in the gold medal winning squad at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and Sandro Salvadore, Ernesto Castano and Giancarlo Bercellino made Italy's 1968 European Football Championship squad.Juventus have also contributed to a lesser degree to the national sides of other nations. Zinedine Zidane and captain Didier Deschamps were Juventus players when they won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, as well as their connational Blaise Matuidi in the 2018 World Cup, making the total number of Juventus World Cup winners 25 (including 22 for the Italy team since 1934), more than any other club around the world. Three Juventus players have also won the European Football Championship with a nation other than Italy, Luis del Sol won it in 1964 with Spain, while the Frenchmen Michel Platini and Zidane won the competition in 1984 and 2000 respectively.

Peace and Sport, "L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is a neutral and independent organization based in the Principality of Monaco and under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco.Peace and Sport works in areas across the world where communities have become estranged from one another and where traditional policies have failed to establish dialogue, with the goal of restoring peaceful relations. Its objective is to bring the structuring values of sport to the heart of communities and individuals in crisis throughout the world.

The organization puts sport and its values at the heart of local development projects conducted within communities in crisis around the world. Exercising its missions in post-conflict zones, areas of extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship.

After retiring from professional football in late 2018, Ivorian footballing legend Didier Drogba, became Vice President of the organization.

Group A of UEFA Euro 2016 contained France, Romania, debutant Albania and Switzerland. France was the only former European champion in this group, having won the championship two times (in 1984 and 2000). Matches were played from 10 to 19 June 2016.

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